🌱🍣 Grandma Sita’s frushi is a fun, plant-based recipe for kids — and a delicious way to use up overripe bananas from the fruit bowl and leftover rice from the fridge. This zero-waste recipe is a win-win! Even better, frushi can be made with whatever seasonal fruit you have on hand, so there are endless tasty combinations to enjoy throughout the year.
💡 Did you know? The word sushi comes from an old Japanese grammatical form meaning “sour-tasting”, referring to the characteristic tangy flavour of traditionally fermented sushi rice. Traditional narezushi, a type of fermented sushi, is still made in Japan today.
- INGREDIENTS:
I. RICE PUDDING — Grandma Sita’s special frushi rice
1 cup sushi rice (leftover cooked sushi rice)
2 cups almond drink (or any plant-based milk)
1/4 cup unrefined cane sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cinnamon stick
Zest of ½ lemon or lime
II. FRUSHI ROLL — per roll
1/3 cup of rice pudding
1 overripe banana
Seasonal fruit, such as berries, plums, or pears
Ground cinnamon, for sprinkling
Grated dark chocolate, for sprinkling
Grated lemon or lime zest
- METHOD
I. RICE PUDDING — 🍚 Got leftover sushi rice? Perfect! This recipe is a delicious way to give leftover rice a second life. Skip straight to step 2 and use your cooked rice.
No leftover rice? No worries! Follow these steps to prepare the rice pudding from scratch:
1. Rinse the rice thoroughly under cold running water, changing the water several times until it runs mostly clear. This helps remove excess starch before cooking.
2. Pour the plant-based milk into a saucepan and warm it gently. Add the cane sugar, cinnamon stick, and lemon or lime zest.
3. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is warm. Bring it gently to the boil, then add the rice.
4. Reduce the heat and simmer as gently as possible until the rice is very tender. Stir occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
5. Cook for about 25–35 minutes, or until the rice is soft and creamy. Taste before removing from the heat. Once ready, remove the citrus zest and cinnamon stick, then leave the rice pudding to rest for a few minutes.
6. Stir with a wooden spoon and allow it to cool until warm or at room temperature. Your frushi rice is now ready to roll!
II. FRUSHI ROLL
1. Mash the rice pudding together with the overripe banana until well combined.
2. Lay a sheet of cling film on your work surface and spread the rice mixture over it, making a rectangle roughly as thick as the tip of your little finger. A sushi mat can make rolling easier, if you have one.
3. Cut the fruit into small pieces. Strawberries, apricots, blackberries, and pineapple all work beautifully, but you can use any seasonal fruit you have. Arrange the fruit in a neat, tight row along one side of the rice rectangle.
4. Lift one side of the cling film and gently roll the frushi into a firm cylinder. Wrap it tightly in the cling film and place it in the freezer for about 2 hours to help it firm up.
5. Once the frushi is firm, remove it from the freezer and carefully unwrap it. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon, grated dark chocolate, and grated lemon or lime zest.
6. Cut the frushi roll into short slices using a sharp knife.
7. Serve the frushi slices on a sushi plate with chopsticks and a small bowl of maple or agave syrup for dipping. 🍣🍌🌱
👵🏻💚 Grandma Sita’s tips
- 🍚 Use leftover rice whenever you can! Cold, cooked sushi rice works beautifully for frushi. If the rice has dried out in the fridge, mix it with a splash of plant-based milk before making the rice pudding to bring back some moisture.
- 🍌 The browner, the better! Overripe bananas are naturally sweeter and softer, making them perfect for mixing into the rice pudding. It’s a delicious way to give brown bananas a second life instead of throwing them away.
- 🍓 Use whatever seasonal fruit you have. Strawberries, berries, plums, pears, apricots, and pineapple are all delicious, but there are no strict rules. Choose fruit that is ripe but still firm enough to hold its shape when sliced.
- 🍣 Want a neat frushi roll? Don’t overfill it! Spread the rice into an even, thin layer and arrange the fruit in a tight line. Use the cling film to help you roll it firmly, just like making sushi. Chill the roll well before slicing.
- 🔪 For clean slices, use a sharp knife and wipe the blade with a damp cloth between cuts. This helps prevent the rice from sticking and keeps each little frushi piece neat and pretty.
- ❄️ Storage: Keep frushi in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy it within 1–2 days. For the best texture, take it out of the fridge a few minutes before serving. We don’t recommend freezing the finished frushi, as the fruit and rice can lose their lovely texture when thawed.
🌱🍣 Make it your own! Frushi is all about having fun and using what you already have. A few overripe bananas, leftover rice and some seasonal fruit can become a colourful, delicious treat — less waste, more creativity, the Grandma Sita way!
📗 Did you know? The origins of sushi go back to Southeast Asia, where fermented rice was used to preserve fish. This tradition spread through China before reaching Japan around the 8th century. Over time, people began eating the rice as well as the fish, and during the Edo period, vinegar was introduced to season the rice instead of relying on fermentation. Today, sushi is enjoyed all over the world and is closely associated with Japanese food culture.
🍚🍌 Give leftover rice and overripe bananas a second life! Rice is one of the most wasted foods in the world, while bananas are often thrown away once they become too brown or soft. But those overripe bananas are actually perfect for baking, smoothies, pancakes — and our fun frushi! Leftover cooked rice can also be transformed into delicious new dishes instead of ending up in the bin.
♻️ Cook with what you have, not what you think you need. Before throwing something away, take a second look: yesterday’s rice, a few overripe bananas, and some seasonal fruit can become today’s delicious treat. Reducing food waste doesn’t have to be complicated — small changes in the kitchen can make a big difference. Make frushi, not waste!